This invention relates to tools for use on automobiles and more particularly to a tool for releasing a parking brake cable from a brake shoe assembly.
Parking brake systems in automobiles are a well known safety feature, and are usually actuated by pulling a brake handle or depressing a brake pedal into a detented position. In one type of conventional parking brake system, the handle or pedal movement causes a parking brake cable to shift a lever mechanism against a brake shoe to urge the brake shoe against the brake drum. When the parking brake is deactivated, the detent on the handle or pedal is released and a parking brake return spring disposed at an end portion of the parking brake cable urges the parking brake lever away from the brake drum. During replacement or repair of the brakes it is often necessary to remove the parking brake cable from the lever mechanism. This operation is usually tedious since the parking brake return spring, which is a helical spring surrounding the brake cable, and a ball-shaped stop piece at the end of the parking brake cable exert substantial compressive forces on the parking brake lever. These forces must be overcome in order to obtain removal of the parking brake cable. A typical removal procedure is to grip the stop piece with a locking pliers, and then force the return spring away from the opposite side of the parking brake lever with a prying tool. When there is clearance between the stop piece and brake lever, and the return spring and brake lever, the parking brake cable can be removed from the brake lever since the forces imposed thereon by the return spring and the stop piece are overcome.
The parking brake cable removing operation is generally difficult for one person to perform and is normally a two-man operation, with one person gripping the stop piece while another pries the return spring away from the parking brake lever. Occasionally, the forces necessary to remove the parking brake cable are imposed on the parking brake lever, causing damage to the lever or other parts of the brake assembly.
It is thus desirable to provide a tool which can be operated by one person to grip the stop piece and to pry the return spring away from the parking brake lever to permit removal of the parking brake cable therefrom without causing damage to the parking brake lever.
Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a novel tool having the combined features of a locking pliers and a prying tool, wherein the locking and prying functions can be performed by one person, and a novel tool wherein the prying function does not require manual gripping of the locking pliers. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.